“Don’t Look Up†director Adam McKay said “fearless†Meryl Streep “didn’t even blink†at the idea of her character appearing naked in the new Netflix disaster comedy movie.
But co-star Leonardo DiCaprio “had a problem†with the scene, in which a body double playing Streep’s President Janie Orlean is seen undressed from behind, McKay told The Guardian in an interview published Monday.
DiCaprio “just views Meryl as film royalty … although maybe royalty is not a compliment … but as such a special figure in the history of film,†McKay explained. “He didn’t like seeing her with the lower back tattoo, walking for a second naked.â€
McKay said DiCaprio asked him something to the effect of, “Do you really need to show that?â€
“And I was like: ‘It’s President Orlean; it’s not Meryl Streep,’†McKay recalled replying.
Streep “didn’t even blink†or “even bring it up,†he added.
In the movie, Streep, 72, plays a Donald Trump-esque president who downplays an imminent comet strike on Earth. DiCaprio, 47, and Jennifer Lawrence, 31, portray scientists desperately trying to warn the world of the looming threat.
Lawrence revealed the reverence with which Streep was treated on set last week, explaining that co-stars called her the GOAT (the Greatest of All Time), but Streep thought they were literally calling her a goat.
